This week's television includes the debuts of two of your favorite characters from the world of comics: The Walking Dead reveals a "fan favorite character," and Arrow introduces the Huntress. Plus someone is taking huge, possibly unforgiveable liberties with Pinky and the Brain! Mira Sorvino shows us what happens when Santa Claus' wife runs off to Las Vegas. Plus learn how to evacuate this planet before the impending apocalypse!

Today:

"Up a Tree"– Finn and Jake are playing catch when Finn accidentally tosses their throwing disc into a gigantic tree.

Way to raise the stakes, Adventure Time. Followed by Regular Show, and a special Annoying Orange guest-starring Maria Menounos, Bret Michaels, Weird Al Yankovic and Alice Cooper. Weird Al is there in the flesh!

Revolution (10 PM, NBC):
Check out a sneak peek. It's the midseason finale! Which means it's the last chance for this show to win over the haters enough to generate some good will when it returns in March. What would it take for you to become a Revolution fan? (A Revolver?) Here's what they're offering:

MILES AND MONROE COME FACE TO FACE - KIM RAVER ('GREY'S ANATOMY') GUEST STARS - In the gang's quest to rescue Danny (Graham Rogers), the time has come for Miles (Billy Burke) and Monroe (David Lyons) to meet face to face. Meanwhile, on the verge of reuniting with her brother, Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos) is conflicted by a shocking discovery and Rachel (Elizabeth Mitchell) tests Monroe's patience.

Also on TV tonight: A new episode of Crash & Bernstein on Disney XD at 8:30 PM.

Tuesday:

Fringe (8 PM, Science):
As Fringe winds down on Fox, you can relive all of the greatest moments (and all of the regrettable moments, too) with the reruns on the Science Channel. This week, the second season begins with three episodes in a row. Says Science:

Featuring leading experts such as Dr. Michio Kaku, Science Channel will examine phenomena such as time travel, dream sharing and parallel universes with the short-form series, "Science of Fringe". Also, every Tuesday night Science Channel airings of FRINGE will begin with a special appearance by series star John Noble.

Also on TV tonight: There's a new Amazing World of Gumball at 7 PM on Cartoon Network, followed by a new Looney Tunes Show at 7:30 and a new Level Up! at 8. Plus a new Doomsday Preppers on National Geographic at 9 PM, and also a new Mankind: The Story of All of Us on History Channel at 9 PM. And the midseason premiere of Leverage on TNT at 10 PM.

Wednesday:

Arrow (8 PM, The CW):
It's the Huntress! And she's out for blood, and possibly also kisses.

THE HUNTRESS RIDES INTO STARLING CITY AND HEATS THINGS UP WITH OLIVER - Oliver (Stephen Amell) encounters a mysterious woman, Helena Bertinelli (guest star Jessica DeGouw), daughter of mob boss Frank Bertinelli (guest star Jeffrey Nordling), who he can finally be himself with, but he soon comes to realize she's hiding dangerous secrets of her own. Helena is on her own personal mission of vengeance and Oliver is caught in the middle. Meanwhile, Tommy (Colin Donnell) is blindsided by an unfortunate turn of events and turns to Laurel (Katie Cassidy) for support.

Dragons: Riders of Berk (8 PM, Cartoon Network):
Check out a brand new clip from this episode, and here are the gripping details:

"Thawfest" – Hiccup tries to best Snotlout during the Thaw Games, the Vikings' annual sports competition.

Supernatural (9 PM, The CW):
Sneak peek at left! This could be the most entertaining gimmick episode this show has done in ages:

CARTOONS AREN'T ALWAYS FUNNY - Castiel (Misha Collins) tells Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) that he's decided to become a hunter like them. Sam and Dean aren't sold on the idea but agree to investigate a case Cas found where a man's heart literally burst through his chest. The guys discover there has been more than one odd murder in the small town and all of them resemble cartoon deaths.

Dark Matters: Strange But True (9 PM, Science):
You need more than one dose of John Noble to get you through your average week, and Science has your back. Hopefully soon, the Science Channel will rename itself the John Noble Channel, and we can all recognize our true home. This time around, we learn about the Unabomber, and "Salvation Through Starvation."

Thursday:

In A FAIRLY ODD CHRISTMAS, Timmy Turner (Bell) travels around the world with his childhood friend, Tootie (Monet), his beloved fairy godparents, Cosmo (voiced by Daran Norris) and Wanda (voiced by Susanne Blakeslee), and his fairy god brother Poof (voiced by Tara Strong), granting kids' wishes. Unfortunately, Timmy doesn't consider that there may be consequences for his actions. When children start to doubt that Santa Claus exists, a panic begins in the North Pole. As a result, kids' wishes begin disappearing from Santa's "good" list. Timmy's well-intended actions eventually land him on The Naughty List. Timmy must find a way to restore the children's faith in Santa Claus before ruining Christmas forever. Meanwhile, Mr. Crocker (David Lewis) is more determined than ever to harness the fairies magical powers for his own purposes.

The Vampire Diaries (8 PM, The CW):
It's not TVD without another random themed party where people have to dress up and deal with angst and murder and stuff. Better yet, how about another vaguely traditional beauty pageant?

THE MISS MYSTIC FALLS PAGEANT - Caroline (Candice Accola) does her best to be there for Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) in a tough time. Damon (Ian Somerhalder) tries to convince Stefan to help him uncover Prof. Shane's (guest star David Alpay) motives, but Stefan is intent on carrying out a different plan with Klaus (Joseph Morgan). At the annual Miss Mystic Falls Pageant, Elena and Caroline give April (guest star Grace Phipps) advice on which dress to wear, while Tyler (Michael Trevino) and Hayley (guest star Phoebe Tonkin) work together on a secret project, and Damon confronts Prof. Shane with his suspicions. Alarmed by the vivid nightmares he's having, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) turns to Matt (Zach Roerig) for help, but the situation escalates sooner than anyone expected. Olympic Gold Medalist Gabrielle Douglas also makes an appearance.

Last Resort (8 PM, ABC):
Now that we know this show's days are numbered, what are we spending one of our last remaining episodes on? A "Justice" episode, where we debate whose laws to try someone under. Sigh.

"Big Chicken Dinner" - Marcus brings the members of the Colorado and the islanders all together to celebrate their two cultures — a feast in the spirit of Thanksgiving. But the good times turn bad the next morning when an essential crew member is accused of a serious crime. Grace handles the man's defense and is tasked with finding out the truth.

Person of Interest (9 PM, CBS):
This show has such a hold on my affections, even when it has a weak episode I enjoy it more than a lot of other shows. Especially now that there's a dog on the team. In any case, this week Mark Pellegrino is playing hooky from Revolution — where they need him a lot more — to add this to his list of genre show appearances.

Mark Pellegrino Guest Stars as Daniel Drake, Whose Number Comes Up With His Wife's — The team is spread thin when a husband and wife's numbers both come up.

Come back to Revolution, Mark!

Beauty and the Beast (9 PM, The CW):
And then, there's yet another episode of the show that's inexplicably not called Beauty and the Beauty:

CAT LEARNS THE TRUTH ABOUT VINCENT'S BLACKOUTS - JT (Austin Basis) thinks Vincent (Jay Ryan) may somehow be involved in Cat's (Kristin Kreuk) homicide investigation after she mentions a local college fraternity brother was brutally killed. JT examines Vincent to determine the cause of his increasingly frequent blackouts, but when Vincent starts to beast out, JT is forced to tranquilize him. Meanwhile, Evan and his new intern find a strange cut on the victim's ankle, which matches that of a female cadaver left on campus a year earlier. As Evan works to uncover more clues from the crime scene, he is kidnapped. Cat begs Vincent to help find Evan and save his life, yet she doesn't realize that she's putting Vincent's life in serious danger.

Also on TV tonight: CBS has another new Big Bang Theory at 8 PM, and also a new Elementary at 10 PM. There's a new Mad on Cartoon Network at 8. Travel has a new Mysteries at the Museum at 9.

Friday:

Tron Uprising (7:30 PM, Disney XD):
People don't use the term "mentee" often enough in TV episode synopses:

Beck falls into a trap and discovers a shocking secret that will annihilate all of his assumptions about his role as Tron's mentee. While Beck is missing, Able helps uncover a plot to build a super-weapon.

There's also a brand new Motorcity on Disney XD at 8:30 PM.

Haven (10 PM, Syfy):
Things are ramping up in this week's "Burned":

It has been prophesied that Audrey (Emily Rose) will disappear in just a few days, and in her attempt to fight her fate, she undergoes a series of terrifying and confusing events that leads her to a real life meeting with the Bolt Gun Killer.

Also on TV tonight: There's a brand new Nikita on The CW at 8 PM. There's a new Phineas & Ferb on Disney at 9 PM. And there's a new Kevin Smith special, Jay and Silent Bob Go Down Under, on Epix at 10 PM.

Saturday:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (9:30 AM, Cartoon Network):
We're done with the "younglings" arc, and now it's all droid espionage, all the time. A fine mess R2D2 has gotten them into this time!

R2-D2 and other Republic droids receive a mission to retrieve an encryption module from the Separatists.

When Trixie makes her way back to Ponyville, as "great and powerful" as ever, she decides to prove her might once and for all by challenging and defeating Twilight in a duel of magic, causing the latter pony to be exiled from the town.

Dragonwasps (9 PM, Syfy):
Actually, I'm not sure if this is a new original movie, or a repeat. Could it be possible that Dragonwasps has already aired, and such a fantastic title slipped my mind? Seems far-fetched, but possible. In any case, here's the full synopsis:

When her father mysteriously disappears on an expedition, beautiful entomologist Gina Humphries and her fiery assistant, Rhonda, set out to search the rain forests of Belize. Due to numerous robberies and assaults in the jungle, they are escorted by heavily-armed soldiers. Guerillas, lead by the infamous Jaguar, ambush the convoy and incite a bloody shootout. Just when things can't get worse, a horde of murderous Dragon Wasps, massive flying bugs that shoot flame from their abdomens, swarms the soldiers. Now the military must defeat Jaguar's bandits and survive the fearsome insect onslaught as they venture inside the Dragon Wasps' hive.

Also on TV today: A new Ben 10: Omniverse on Cartoon Network at 9 AM.

Sunday:

Omens of the Apocalypse: The End is Near (7 PM, National Geographic):
Basically, now that December 2012 is upon us, National Geographic is going to be the Apocalypse Channel. Just on Sunday night, they're showing three hours in a row of apocalyptic doomsaying, including 2012: Countdown to Armageddon: The End is Near and Evacuate Earth. (Actually, if that last one includes real instructions on how to evacuate this planet, it might be worth tuning into.)

Once Upon a Time (8 PM, ABC):
Another midseason finale, in which we learn once and for all that it's not a portal without a deathtrap.

"Queen of Hearts" - Cora and Hook face off with Mary Margaret and Emma in a race to secure the compass, which will point its holder to the portal into Storybrooke. But back on the other side, Regina and Mr. Gold, desperate to keep Cora out, put a plan into action that would kill anyone entering the portal - placing Mary Margaret's and Emma's lives in danger as well. Meanwhile, back in the fairytale land that was, Captain Hook travels to Wonderland and meets up with a vengeful Queen of Hearts.

Finding Mrs. Claus (9 PM, Lifetime):
The real joy of the holiday season is this raft of incredibly cheesy, so-bad-it's-awful TV movies, starring an army of slumming actors. This week? Academy Award-winning actor Mira Sorvino is Mrs. Claus! Who runs away to Vegas!

When Mrs. Claus (Mira Sorvino) feels neglected by her less than attentive husband (Will Sasso), she goes to Las Vegas to help a little girl with her Christmas wish. But when Santa finds out and follows her to Sin City to make amends, he puts Christmas at risk when things don't go quite as he planned

The Walking Dead (9 PM, AMC):
Another midseason finale! The producers have said this episode features the appearance of a fan-favorite character — and it's widely rumored to be Tyreese, played by Chad Coleman. Check out a couple sneak peeks, and here's the official synopsis:

A situation in Woodbury throws inhabitants for a loop and forces Andrea to take charge, while a new threat arises at the prison.

666 Park Avenue (10 PM, ABC):
What this show really needed all along was more time travel and hypnosis. And Whoopi Goldberg:

"Hypnos" - Jane is hurled back in time to October 1927 by the mysterious Maris Elder (Whoopi Goldberg), who hypnotizes her in an effort to find out where she disappeared down the spiral staircase. Her time travel adventures unlock secrets long hidden in Peter Kramer's apartment, where his wife was murdered, and shows Jane that her family has a dark legacy that's tangled with The Drake's history. Meanwhile, Gavin talks to Henry about the possibility of becoming a city councilman, but his chances may be destroyed by the leak of some sensitive personal information. And in a shocking revelation, Sasha's identity is exposed.

Robot Chicken (Midnight, Adult Swim):
In "Eviscerated Post-Coital by a Six Foot Mantis," the sketches apparently include a brand new eco-friendly addition to Sesame Street, what happens when Mario from Super Mario Bros. gets rich, and some kind of Pinky & the Brain spoof. And that's followed by an all new Superjail!.

Also on TV today: A new Dog With a Blog at 8 PM on Disney. Plus some of the usual animated shows on Fox.